Employer profile: PwC, one of the 'big four' professional services firms
An introduction to a professional services firm
What is a professional services firm, and how can I apply? Find out all about PwC and how you can get started on your career with them!
| Founded | Formed in 1998 from a merger between Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand, PwC has a history in client services that dates back to the 1800s. |
| Locations | 152 countries, including 19 offices in the UK |
| Employees | 328,000 globally |
| Most common roles |
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| Roles you might not expect |
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What does PwC do?
PwC is a global professional services firm, which means we’re experts in a range of different business areas.
We’re a hugely diverse business, bound by our global purpose – to build trust in society and solve important problems. Our greatest opportunity to deliver our purpose is through meaningful work that makes a difference to our clients and society. We have a culture of high performance built on quality, ethical, and professional standards.
We lead by example. Our standards for quality – and care – are high. And together we surpass them. We believe we can make the biggest impact when leading with our purpose, values, and PwC Professional behaviours in every interaction. We don't just adapt to what's next, we shape it. Working with emerging technologies and leading organisations, we challenge assumptions and empower our people to deliver groundbreaking work.
Where do your employees work and what are your offices like?
PwC has 19 offices in the UK, in cities like Aberdeen, Belfast, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, London, Southampton, and Birmingham.
Our offices have a range of spaces for our people to come together, collaborate, and learn from each other. Each office has a connection to its home region and, no matter where you’re based, we want to create a real sense of belonging.
We have a range of food and refreshments available, along with plenty of breakout spaces where you can enjoy them. With outdoor terraces or table games, there’s lots of space to catch up with your colleagues whilst taking a break.
How can someone join PwC at entry level?
Some candidates join us after doing a degree on our graduate schemes. To be eligible, you need to have achieved a pass.
Others join us on our Flying Start Accounting Degree Programme. You’ll combine paid work experience at PwC with studying towards an undergraduate degree at a leading UK university like Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester, Reading, or Queen Mary University of London.
Or you could join us straight from school with our Entry Level Programmes in Tax, Consulting, or Operate. You’ll learn on the job and you may even be able to work towards a professional qualification.
Tell us what people in one of those roles do specifically. What might their typical week look like?
One entry-level position at PwC is an Audit associate, a role given to those who complete our Flying Start degree programme.
When an organisation makes financial, sustainability, and performance statements, auditors are trusted by its board, regulators, and clients to make sure that the data is fair and accurate. One of the tasks you could do is verifying the credibility and reliability of all kinds of data, bringing rigour to the information that underpins the economy.
You’d also make sure that our clients have the digital systems, internal controls, governance policies, and risk management processes in place to deliver this information accurately and effectively.
To do our work, we need to understand how a client’s business functions. So you could spend time researching a business, doing stock checks at client sites, presenting your findings, or communicating directly with clients.
Does PwC offer apprenticeships?
We offer Entry Level programmes in Tax Services, Operate, and Consulting. To apply, you’ll need a Grade C or 4 or above in GCSE (or equivalent) English language and mathematics.
- Consulting: 112 UCAS tariff
In Consulting, you’ll help organisations of all kinds to think ahead, solve complex problems, and deliver on their goals. Whichever aspect of consultancy or industry you specialise in, you’ll help clients rethink the way they do things, from improving performance, increasing resilience, driving innovation, and unlocking potential.
- Tax: 96 UCAS tariff
In Tax, you’ll advise clients on their tax planning and strategy. You’ll help them to meet their obligations, maximise their profitability, and drive growth by navigating tax regulations effectively.
- Operate: 112 UCAS tariff
In Operate, your journey will begin in our Finance Managed Solutions business. That’s where we support our clients with critical finance functions, including Financial Control - Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and General Ledger.
Does PwC offer work experience or internships?
Once you reach your penultimate year at university, you can take up a summer internship with us for four to eight weeks. You’ll work in one of our offices in the line of service you applied to (like Tax or Consulting) and gain an insight into the real working world.
If you’re in Year 11 or 12, you can take part in our Virtual Insight opportunity, which goes live in February each year. This opportunity gives you an insight into a realistic day in the life of someone in an Entry Level role at PwC.
Aside from researching the role and company, what is one top tip to help someone apply successfully for an entry-level position at PwC?
We run virtual events where you get the chance to learn about who we are, our opportunities, and hints and tips for the selection process. It's a great way to get an insight into the role and the process that you can use in your application. All virtual events can be found on our website under PwC Early Careers Events, and run throughout the year.